Thomas Keller confers with his chef de cuisine Timothy Hollingsworth and sous chef Anthony Secviar last winter. Photo: Lance Iversen/The Chronicle
With Grant Achatz visiting San Francisco this week on his book tour and a Datebook feature article already filed earlier this month, Scoop will run interviews over the next week with some of the French Laundry personalities who interacted with a young Achatz during his Napa tenure, which ran 1996 to 2001 (with a wine-making sabbatical and El Bulli stint in there). So much of Achatz’s memoir, Life, on the Line, focused on those formative, fascinating Yountville years; consider these interviews a snapshot of that time.
First up, the man who needs no introduction: Thomas Keller, who chatted right after attending an event for Modernist Cuisine.
Scoop: Before we get to the matter at hand, what are your thoughts on Modernist Cuisine?
Thomas Keller: It’s a landmark work. Even modern chefs don’t present information in that way. No one has 3.5 years, 30 people working in a huge kitchen.
What were your first impressions of Grant Achatz? He’s often told the story of how he got a tryout at the French Laundry by repeatedly sending resumes.
Well, the kid was certainly persistent, if nothing else. I’ve always said persistence pays off. The resume idea was smart because as soon as something happens [and we need to hire someone], he’s at the top of the pile. Very bright, very practical.
What are your memories of his time there?
Grant went from being a young, timid commis to a fully fledged, impactful sous chef, that on numerous occasions reinforced the foundations of the restaurant. There are so many heroes of the French Laundry and Grant is one of them. Chefs are allowed to make an impact here.
That era went on to big things: Eric Ziebold, Mark Hopper, Ron Siegel, Gregory Short, to name a few.
It was like any all-star team. I’m proud of that generation, as well as the next generation — the [Jonathan] Bennos and the [Corey] Lees — and generation that’s there now. So many chefs of my generation have protégés and alumni, not just me. My overarching goal is not my restaurant, but my profession. Hopefully we’re improving our profession as a whole.
One of the most significant events during Grant’s French Laundry tenure was the stage you set up for him at El Bulli.
We have a scholarship program at the restaurant every year. There was a piece on El Bulli in Gourmet that I had showed him earlier, and that sparked his interest. I knew he wanted to go, so I organized his trip to Spain. When Grant came back, it was evident what he wanted to do.
Like any young chef, he was excited about what he learned. Our restaurant is one that continues to evolve, so he was able to use some of the things he learned.
How has he channeled it on his own? What’s your take his food at Alinea?
It prompts a pretty universal reaction. It’s sensual, touching on so many emotional aspects. His food at Alinea touches on so many emotional, sensual aspects. There are very few chefs that can do that, well.
Every generation has nouvelle cuisine. It’s building upon blocks. The only reason we talk about it so much now is because food was never talked about before. It’s a relatively new thing [for media], compared to art, fashion and music. It’s not something so different — it just needs to be understood and explained better.
How so?
What was new 15 years ago is not necessarily new. But really what is new? It’s a reinterpretation of what is old. Is foam really new? You’ve been drinking cappuccinos. The genius of Ferran Adria is that he looked at food as new and reinterpreted it. It’s the same with fashion. What was old in one generation becomes new again, because another generation hasn’t experienced it.
How has cuisine evolved?
We talk now about individuals and points of view. It’s not only a national or regional cuisine anymore. Grant’s cuisine is based on his personality, his interpretation. It’s his. The great parts of a movement stay — they become the traditional cuisine.
· Previously: Grant Achatz’s next chapter: ‘Life, on the Line’ [San Francisco Chronicle]